Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Laura Meyer

Second Advisor

Lynett Henderson-Metzger

Third Advisor

Justin Lincoln

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Equine, Psychotherapy, EFP, Evidence-based practice in psychology, EBPP

Abstract

Horses are being used in psychotherapy at increasing rates despite a lack of evidence establishing efficacy of the practice (Anestis, Anestis, Zawilinski, Hopkins, & Lilienfeld, 2013; Selby & Smith-Osborne, 2013). Without common and consistent practices based on a working theory of how Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) creates change, it is unknown how varied the practice is across the United States (Anestis et al., 2013). A lack of studies establishing efficacy leaves providers to determine effectiveness based on anecdotal evidence that may be at risk for bias (Lilienfeld, Ritschel, Lynn, Cautin, & Latzman, 2014). The American Psychological Association (APA) provides recommended best practices for clinical decision-making, which bases a large portion of efficacy for a treatment on randomized controlled trials (APA Taskforce on Evidence-Based Practice, 2006), currently non-existent within the EFP literature (Anestis et al., 2013). For the current study, EFP providers were surveyed to assess their knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practices in psychology within their EFP work. Providers were primarily White/Caucasian females from counseling or social work backgrounds with training in the EAGALA model as well as other psychological treatment backgrounds. Results indicated that EFP providers treat individuals with a variety of syndromes, with trauma, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders primarily reported. Our sample indicated adherence to basic EBPP by many of the providers, including having a broad base of experience from which to draw information, combining standardized protocols with interventions specifically chosen for individual client needs, assessing client progress with a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, and utilizing diagnostic information to inform treatment planning.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Extent

56 pages

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